Love Collection
by Lisaslovestories
Summary: A collection of short stories, all about love. The heartbreaks, the loss, the happiness, the reunions. All the stories revolve around our favorite couples. Both AH and AU, but always with love. Some stories rated M.
1. Blood red and white

**A/N: This is a new idea I got a while back. I often struggle with writers block, and I've found that the best way to work through it is to write whatever you want. So this is going to be a collection of stories that I've written. They are all one shots, and not one will be like the one before. There will be love, struggling, loss, happiness, heartbreak and so much more. The theme is love, of course. I think I will add one every week. **

**In this first story, I've gotten inspiration from an old swedish novel and then changed it up a bit. This is agony, so if you're not one for tears, I suggest you don't read. **

_For this chapter, the theme from Schindler's List by Ian Sutherland is recomended. _

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**Blood red and white. **

Seven pieces of sugar cubes is lying scattered in the grass beside the road. A few of them white, others red. They are the only sign of what has happened in the small village.

Everything is quiet now. No children are playing by the swings, no neighbours are chatting over the hedges, there are no sound of a TV to be heard from a open window.

It could be just any other day, if everyone had simply chosen to stay in instead of enjoying the sunshine outside.

But it is not just any other day. The red sugar cubes tell a story of tragedy, heartbreak, pain and life long guilt.

They tell of a man, who never knew that on that day, he would kill a child.

oOoOoOo

"Edward? Did you talk to Alice? Are they on their way?" Bella was too busy to look up when she heard her husband open the front door. She was just taking a pie out of the oven, and smiled at the sight of it, glad that she had gotten it right this time.

"They'll be here in 30 minutes." Edward answered as he came into the kitchen, placing the grocery bags on the counter. He then walked over to stand behind Bella, putting his arms around her waist and kissing her neck softly.

"Mmm.." Bella mumbled, closing her eyes and leaning back against Edward's chest with a content smile on her lips.

"I don't know what smells the best, you or that pie." Edward chuckled, continuing to trail kisses along Bella's neck.

They heard the soft sound of footsteps, and then a little gasp as the footsteps haltered. "Daddy, are you a vampire?" a high trilling voice sounded behind them.

Edward and Bella turned around to see their 6 year old daughter standing in the doorway, watching them with wide eyes. Edward laughed as he let go of his wife and began to playfully stalk towards the little girl.

"Yes, Renesmee. I am a vampire, and I just love to snack on pretty, bronze haired girls who smells as good as you do." He stretched his arms out towards her, pretending to grab for her. Renesmee let out an excited shriek as she turned and ran out off the kitchen, followed by her dad, the vampire. Edward let her get a head start and then laughed as he chased her into the living room, knowing very well that this was his daughter's favourite game.

Bella shook her head indulgently as she turned back to her cooking, smiling as the sound of her daughter's laughter filled the house.

oOoOoOo

A few miles away, a man named Peter walked towards his car. He had just gone on vacation for the summer, and he was more than eager to leave his work place. It was a perfectly sunny day; Peter and his girlfriend Charlotte were going to take the boat out for the first time that year, something they had both been looking forward to for quite some time.

Peter drove to the kindergarten where Charlotte was working. He was a little early, but decided he would much rather wait there than to spend more time at his office.

It was a 20 minutes drive from the city to the little town where they had their boat and summerhouse, and Peter decided to put the top down on his convertible as he waited outside for Charlotte. He knew how much she loved it when she could feel the wind on her face as he drove.

He had just gotten the car ready when Charlotte came out of the building, smiling as she spotted him. After getting into the car, they took off.

oOoOoOo

Bella had just finished setting the table out in the garden, underneath a huge oak tree where Edward had set up a swing for Renesmee the previous year. She smiled as she remembered how animated he had been when he'd gotten the idea, and how happy it had made Renesmee when she saw it for the first time.

She heard the sound of the doorbell ringing, and then light footsteps as Renesmee ran to the door to let Alice and Jasper in. There was a loud sound of excited voices as they all greeted each other and then Renesmee's heart warming laughter as Jasper picked her up.

After double checking that everything was in place, Bella went inside to join the others.

oOoOoOo

Peter had made a mix CD with all of Charlotte's favourite songs on it. He loved hearing her sing a long to the music, since she had a beautiful voice.

They had been talking excitedly about the weeks they had before them, which would be filled with sailing, good food, exploring and relaxing.

Peter pushed down on the gas, eager to get to their destination.

oOoOoOo

"So, Renesmee, what do you want for your birthday next week?" Jasper asked, smiling at the child who was seated between her parents at the table. "Turning 7 is huge, you know."

Renesmee beamed at him, "I want a kitten!" she sang, oblivious to the conspiratorial glances her parents exchanged over her head.

Jasper caught it though, and so did his wife Alice.

"A kitten? Why now, that would be quite the present!" Alice said with a serious expression on her face. She knew all about the present her brother and his wife had picked out, and she was looking forward to seeing the little girls face when they gave it to her.

Renesmee nodded, equally serious. "Yes, aunt Alice. But I really, really want one. I love kittens, don't I mommy?" she turned her head to look up at her mother, who tried not to crack and tell Renesmee all about the sweet little kitten they had picked out for her. She wanted her daughter to have everything she'd ever whish for. That was her number one priority, always.

Edward nudged his wife gently, winking. "We know you do, honey." he said, leaning down to place a kiss on his daughter's forehead.

oOoOoOo

Peter and Charlotte were getting closer to town of Elora, which was their destination, they had just one more village to cross.

Charlotte was leaning back in her seat, eyes closed as she listened to the music.

"Are we gonna go to that small café by the dock? The one that had the ice tea that I liked so much? It was such a nice little place." she asked, smiling as she remembered the other times they had gone there the previous summer.

Peter reached out to take her hand, shifting his eyes from the road. "Of course."

Charlotte gave his hand a gently squeeze and smiled. "Good. It was such a nice little place." she said again.

oOoOoOo

"Edward! You forgot to buy sugar, didn't you?" Bella called from the porch. The others were still seated by the table, chatting, while Renesmee was on her swing, her legs stretching out into the air as she tried to go higher.

Edward looked up with a guilty expression, smiling sheepishly at his wife. "Maybe."

Bella rolled her eyes, not capable of scolding him when he smiled like that. Luckily, they were good friends with the old lady across the road, and she was always more than happy to help out when ever needed.

"Okay, well I'll just head over to Mrs. Clearwater and see if she has any. Edward, can you keep an eye on the tea while I'm gone?"

"Mommy! Can't I go? Please? I want to see Mrs. Clearwater's new kitten, she said I could come by anytime and look at it! Please, please, please?" The little girl jumped off the swing and ran to her mother with an excited smile on her heavenly face.

As always, a smile like that was too hard for a mother to refuse. "Alright, you can go. But don't stay too long, okay? Just take a quick look at the kitten, and then go straight home, honey. We're having dessert in a few minutes." Bella said, stroking her daughter's hair.

"I will! Thank you mommy!" Renesmee sang, racing through the house to get her shoes. She was out the door and across the street before Bella could blink.

oOoOoOo

A blue car reaches the little village a few minutes past 3 in the afternoon. The man is driving fast, music is playing from the speakers and the man has one arm around the woman next to him. She is singing along with the music, a carefree smile on her lips as she enjoys the sun on her face and the wind blowing in her hair.

The scenery is familiar; they drove through this place many times last summer. It is a beautiful village; small, charming houses are built fairly close, but divided by hedges. The greenery is breathtaking and the road is lined with tall growing bushes and trees.

oOoOoOo

Life is unfair in many ways. It is unfair because only seconds before a child is killed its parents sit together under an oak tree, talking about their beautiful daughter and how much they are looking forward to seeing her grow and live and love and laugh and learn.

It is unfair because in the same second, a man in a car thinks about how wonderful his life is with his girl by his side. It is unfair because a child is looking at a little kitten, whishing she could stay longer but knowing that mommy wanted her home, and so she says goodbye and opens the door and walks down the steps and to the path that leads to the gate.

It is unfair because in the same second that a child opens a gate and steps out onto a road, a mother is smiling at her husband and telling him how happy she is, and a man in a blue car is closing his eyes for just one second, one short but at the same time eternal second, and thinking about how he cant wait to see the ocean again, how much he loves the woman by his side.

Afterwards, it is all too late. Afterwards, a car is standing in the middle of a road and a woman is screaming and holding a bleeding hand over her mouth and a man is opening a car door with a deep hole of fear in his chest. Afterwards, a few pieces of sugar are spread across the road in blood and gravel and a child is lying motionless on its stomach, an angel face pressed against the ground. Afterwards, two people are running, their faces pale as they take in a sight that they will never forget. Because the sight that will haunt days and nights for the rest of their lives.

It is not true that time heals all wounds. Time does not heal a dead child's wounds and it does not heal the pain of a father who forgot to buy sugar or a mother who sent her child across the road to borrow some and it does not heal the agony of a once happy man who has killed a child.

The man who has killed a child doesn't go to the ocean. The man who has killed a child goes home in silence and beside him he has a quiet woman with a bandaged hand and in every village they pass, they don't see a single person smiling. The shadows are dark, very dark. When they separate it is still silent and the man who has killed a child knows that the silence is his enemy and he knows that he will need years of his life to try and defeat that silence by screaming that it wasn't his fault. But he will know that it is a lie, and in his dreams at night he will whish that he had one endless second of his life back so that he could do that second differently.

But life doesn't show mercy, and so everything afterwards is always going to be too late.

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**I very much a****ppreciate**** anything you have to say, and also if you have any idea for a one shot for me to write, please let me know. **


	2. The Office

**A/N: Just a little something something I've been writing. **

_Chapter theme song: Secrets by OneRepublic_

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**The Office.**

"I assure you, Mrs Travers, I truly am the most qualified person for this job. I have worked with similar cases before, and have won every single one." I smiled my confident smile, sure that I had this client in the bag. It was one of those high profile cases that would look wonderful on my résumé, not to mention that I would love the challenge.

Mrs. Travers nodded, "I don't doubt your ability, not in any way. It's just that I spoke to this lovely, charming man just as I entered and he seemed extremely willing to take on my case."

_Oh, hell no._

I cleared my throat, "Did he by any chance have bronze hair and green eyes?"

"Yes, he did. Such a good looking young man, and he seemed to know what he was talking about, too. I can't seem to remember his name though, I have such a bad memory." Mrs. Travers laughed, and I knew I had to do something, quick. I was not losing this case to him, no way!

Putting on my most charismatic game face, I shook my head, "Mr. Cullen is an excellent lawyer, and he is amazing when it comes to company or cooperative lawsuits, but your case is more delicate, more personal. What you need is someone who specialises on your type of situation." I smiled, hoping I would be able to convince her, "I would put my heart and soul into your case, I promise, Mrs. Travers."

She was still looking slightly gazed, and I cursed that manipulating man for dazzling my client like this. It was obvious that she wasn't really hearing a word I said, she was probably fantasising about Edward still.

"Oh yes, Cullen was his name. Where have I heard that before?" she mumbled to her self, and I had to stop myself from rolling my eyes. Bad memory indeed.

Mrs. Travers was a 76 year old woman, who was looking to make sure that her soon to ex husband didn't get a dime from their divorce. She had found out that he had been stealing money from her while they were married, and was now intent on making sure that she not only got her money back, but also that Mr. Travers would be put on the street without a nickel to his name, which he had also stolen. Well, he hadn't actually stolen the name, but that was how Mrs. Travers had put it.

Mrs. Travers was extremely wealthy, and she had been clever enough to make her husband sign a prenup before they married. But she now wanted to override that prenup, and it was my job to get it done.

Only, now it looked more as if Edward would be the one to go up in court against the famous and almost deadly lawyer that Mr. Travers had hired. I had only been assistant attorney the one time I'd seen the legendary Jasper Whitlock, but I had been blown away by his whole presentation. If I hadn't been up against him, I would have applauded him after each statement he made. Such a clever man, and so captivating.

I wanted to beat him. I wanted to walk all over him until he was nothing but dust, and then swipe his remains under the carpet. I wanted to break him, I wanted to spill his blo—…

_Okay, Bella, take it down a notch, will ya? No need to get all vampire before you even know if you've landed the client or not._

Besides, the only blood that would be spilled today was that stupid, client stealing, charming bastard, Edward.

"I think I need to consider my choice for another day." Mrs. Travers said, and to my great horror I saw that she began to get up from her chair. "I will come in tomorrow and announce my decision." she extended a hand to me, "Thank you so much, it was a pleasure talking to you."

I stood up and took her hand, "The pleasure was all mine, Mrs. Travers. Please don't hesitate to call if you have any questions."

The old lady nodded and straightened her coat before walking out of the office. I sighed heavily and slumped back into my comfortable office chair, grumbling to myself.

This was so typical of Edward; I shouldn't even have been surprised. Of course he would try to steal this client, he knew what her case would mean to his career as well. We were dealing with a great deal of money here, and the case would definitely get a lot of media coverage which would be great for the firm.

It wasn't like this was the first time Edward had tried to steal one of my potential clients, and to be fair, I had done the same on countless occasions. Ever since we started working here 4 years ago, fresh out of college, we had been competing against each other. We had actually been in the same law school, taking almost exactly the same classes. We had both been straight A students and were always in the top of the class, so you could say that we'd been constant rivals for the past 11 years. It was kind of ironic that we got hired by the same firm, on the exact same day, but I just figured it was fate. Perhaps we were meant to keep competing, or perhaps it was just a coincident. Who really knew how the universe worked anyway?

A knock on the door woke me from my reverie, and I sat up straight in my chair, calling for the person to enter.

"Hey, Bella. Staff meeting is in 2 minutes, you coming?" Angela asked, sticking her head inside the door.

I looked down on my watch, realizing I had lost track of time while thinking about Edward. Quickly, I grabbed all my necessary papers and protocols and stood up, "Yeah, I'm right behind you." I said, straightening my black skirt. How I wished we could have something like Casual Friday at this place, I was sick and tired of knee length pencil skirts and boring jackets.

When I walked out from my office, I saw a patch of auburn hair in my peripheral vision.

Edward was walking next to Susan, and I suddenly changed my wish for a casual office day.

Edward in a suit was probably the sexiest thing known to man, it should almost be illegal for someone to lock so god damn good in black.

_Hmm, have I read anything about lawsuits for excess gorgeousness? I bet I would win the case if I were to sue him. _

As if he sensed my gaze, Edward turned his head in my direction. A smirk played on his lips, and I could almost hear him say, in that teasing, velvet voice, "I'm gonna steal your client, and you know it."

I narrowed my eyes at him, which only made his smirk bigger. Damn, he was confident, and damn, it was so irritating.

Angela and I caught up to Edward just as he and Susan reached the conference room, and ever the gentleman, Edward held the door open for us to enter. Just as I passed him, I felt his fingers grace my elbow for just one second.

It might have been brief, but 45 minutes later, when the meeting was all over and we all returned to our offices, I still had goose bumps over my skin. It hadn't helped that Edward had been giving me heated glances all through Mr. Petoskey's standard monolog, making me almost stammer when I was to report on my cases status. It was insane that he could have such an effect on me, just by looks and innocent touches.

I spent the rest of the morning going through a stack of mail that was long overdue, and spoke with a few other clients. I kept hoping that Mrs. Travers would call and say that she had made up her mind and that she chose me, but I had a feeling that she would wait until tomorrow, as she had said.

For lunch, Angela and I went to our favourite restaurant down the street. We chatted and ate for an hour, and Angela told me about what she and the man she was engaged to, Ben, had planned for their honeymoon. They were to get married the next month, and Angela was over her elbows in wedding plans. I was impressed that she was able to juggle her work and all that planning, but then again, Angela had always been extremely efficient.

We went back to the office, still chatting about bridesmaids' dresses, and I didn't notice the tall, muscled man until I bumped into him by the elevator.

"Oh, sorry." I said, smiling up at Edward.

He chuckled, "It's okay, Bella. I'm not that easy to tackle, you know." I blushed as he winked at me, and bit down on my lip. Good god, he was so handsome.

"So, Edward, how are you doing with the Caveller case? Any progress?" Angela asked as all three of us stepped into the elevator. I stood in the middle, Edward on my right side. I felt my skin tingle as his hand softly touched mine where in hang by my side, and zoomed out on their conversation, instead focusing on the feel of his skin.

"… but I'm sure Bella will tell you all about it later." I heard Edward say just as the doors opened, and shook my head to come back to the present.

"Of course." I said, having no idea what they had been talking about. "I'll see you later, Edward."

He winked again, and took off towards his office. I stared after him for a minute, but when I saw Angela watching me with a knowing smile, I wiped the dreaming expression off of my face and rolled my eyes.

"Don't say it."

She just shrugged her shoulders, "I think it's adorable, that's it."

I laughed, "Yeah, yeah."

We said goodbye and I returned to my office, eager to get to my computer. I knew what was waiting there.

Sitting down in my chair, I heard the familiar pling from the office chat program. I smiled, once again silently thanking Mr. Petoskey for the decision to have it installed.

I clicked on the blinking box in the corner.

_**E**__**d1289: **__I hope you don't mind me stealing your client. It's nothing personal, I assure you._

I narrowed my eyes as I read. _Smug bastard! _I thought, and then typed my reply.

_**Is1288: **__If you're gonna have a shot at stealing her, you better prepare for a night at the office, working your ass off. I've already done all the research. _

A reply came within 20 seconds.

_**Ed1289: **__I'm counting on my charm to do the job this time. Besides, I'm leaving early tonight, I have plans with the wife. _

I swallowed hard, and then chewed on my bottom lip for a moment before typing my response.

_**Is1288: **__I see. Well, I have a lot of work left to do. I'm signing off._

I leaned back in my chair, wondering if I should sign off now or wait for him to write back one last time. Before I could decide, a new message arrived.

_**Ed1288: **__Don't stay too long…_

Rolling my eyes, I signed off and started on my boatload of work. It would be a long night at the office, it seemed.

oOoOoOo

At 7:45, I was just finishing off my last file. I took a swig from my water bottle and then swung my chair around to face the glass wall behind my desk. It was dark out, no stars visible through the thick blackness. I sat lost in thoughts for a minute, contemplating the Mrs. Travers situation.

Damn Edward, he always knew how to push my buttons. In a way, it was good. It meant that I was forced to take it up a notch to avoid being robbed of a good case. I knew that Mr. Petoskey was aware of our little competitions, and he didn't mind it since it made us both work even harder.

"Can I come in?" Angela's voice sounded from behind me. I jumped slightly, not having heard her knock.

I spun my chair around, "Sure" I smiled, and started to put my things in order.

"I'm meeting Ben for dinner at a restaurant down town in a few minutes, but I just wanted to make sure you're okay?" she finished with a question, concern evident in her tone.

I picked up my bag from the floor and got up, walking over to her to put my hand on her shoulder. "I'm good, Ange. Just a bit tired, but that comes with the job, right?"

She laughed, "Yeah, I guess."

Grabbing my jacket from the coat hanger next to the door, I shrugged into it. "You ready to go?"

Angela nodded, and we walked out the office together while she gushed about all the wedding plans she hadn't gotten to during our lunch. We passed the security guard on the first floor and then parted ways as she headed down town and I walked towards the parking lot.

20 minutes later I was walking up the stairs to my apartment, carrying my heavy briefcase in one hand and struggling to get my keys out from my pocked with the other. Pausing outside the door, I realized I had misplaced my keys and would have to do a more thorough search. I put down my briefcase, and then heard the sound of the door swing open.

"Lost your keys again?"

I straightened up, a blush spreading over my face.

"Maybe." I smiled.

Then strong arms circled my waist, and I was pulled inside before I could take another breath.

The apartment smelled wonderful, there had obviously been cooking going on there. As I peeked around a broad shoulder, I saw that the dinner table was set up. Our best china, candles, a bouquet of red roses and a little white box with a pink ribbon on it was on the table.

Smiling hugely, I pulled back slightly to look at the wonderful man in front of me. His eyes were dancing, and that wonderful, crooked smile played on his lips. His arms were still around me, holding me close to him.

"You did all this?" I asked, reaching up to stroke his smooth cheek.

Edward nodded, "Only the best for you, my love." he bent his head down to kiss me passionately. When the kiss ended, he put me down again and took my hand in his. "You know today is a special occasion, but I also figured I owed you after what happened at work." he added with a chuckle.

I gave his hand a light squeeze, "If this is what I get to come home to, you can steal my clients any day."

Edward brought my hand to his face and kissed it, sending sparks through my entire body.

"Happy 5th anniversary, Mrs. Cullen" he said, leaning down to kiss me once more.

"You too, Mr. Cullen" I mumbled against his lips, forgetting everything about clients, the firm and legal cases. Like always, coming home to Edward was like entering heaven.

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**As always, I'd love to hear what you think!**


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